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Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment
Center (FRMAC)
Overview and Mission
 The
Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) is a
federal asset available on request by the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) to respond to nuclear/radiological incidents as described
in the
National Response Framework (NRF). Under the NRP the U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE) has the responsibility to maintain the operational
readiness of the FRMAC.
The FRMAC is an interagency organization with representatives from
various federal, state, and local radiological response organizations.
The purpose of the FRMAC is to assist the states, local and tribal
governments in their mission to PROTECT THE HEALTH AND WELL BEING OF
THEIR CITIZENS with:
- Verified radiation measurements
- Interpretations of radiation distributions based on
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), or local Protective Action Guidelines
- Characterization of overall radiological conditions
Once a declaration to respond to a radiological emergency has been made,
the DOE/National Nuclear Safeguards and Security Administration (NNSA)
Headquarters will coordinate the response in consultation with the
cognizant DOE/NNSA Regional Coordinating Office (RCO). Each of the eight
RCOs maintains a 24-hour response capability for radiological
emergencies that may occur in states served by its region.
When a FRMAC is established it operates under the parameters of the
Incident Command System (ICS) as defined in the
National Incident
Management Systems (NIMS) construct.
The Consequence Management Home Team (CMHT) will be
activated immediately during normal business hours (Pacific Time Zone) and will be activated
within 2 hours otherwise.
The FRMAC deploys as a phased response. The
Consequence Management Response Team (CMRT I) is
“prepared for deployment” within 4
hours after activation; CMRT II is
“prepared for deployment” within 12 hours of activation, and additional personnel and
equipment for CMRT Augmentation is
underway within 24 hours of activation. Travel time is not included in
the above time sequence. With the phased response, DOE assets will be
activated and deployed depending upon the real or potential impact of
the emergency. Along with the assets, a FRMAC provides an operational
framework for coordinating of all federal off-site radiological
monitoring and assessment activities during a response to a radiological
emergency to support the Coordinating Agency, state(s), local, and/or
tribal governments.
Potential radiological emergencies that fall within the FRMAC vary
widely in terms of the area affected, the nature of the contamination,
and the scope of the government’s response. Detonation of a nuclear
device, accidental release of radiation from a nuclear power plant, and
a terrorist threat are just a few of the many possible scenarios that
the FRMAC must be prepared to address. Through all this, supporting the
state, local, and tribal organizations in the protection of the public
remains the primary goal of the federal response.
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